


The Red Skulls

by myxstorie



Category: Johnny's Entertainment, KAT-TUN (Band), NewS (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-04
Updated: 2010-11-04
Packaged: 2018-02-10 02:56:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2008335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myxstorie/pseuds/myxstorie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For <span class="ljuser i-ljuser i-ljuser-deleted i-ljuser-type-P"><a class="i-ljuser-profile" href="http://mugiwara-shojo.livejournal.com/profile"><img class="i-ljuser-userhead"/></a><a class="i-ljuser-username" href="http://mugiwara-shojo.livejournal.com/"><b>mugiwara_shojo</b></a></span> for <span class="ljuser i-ljuser i-ljuser-type-C"></span><a class="i-ljuser-profile" href="http://jerainbowbridge.livejournal.com/profile"><img class="i-ljuser-userhead"/></a><a class="i-ljuser-username" href="http://jerainbowbridge.livejournal.com/"><b>jerainbowbridge</b></a>'10, <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/jerainbowbridge/20675.html">here</a>. 8,358 words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Red Skulls

**.summer.**

The world rushes by in a blur of colour, clear blue sky and bright green leaves and clean brick buildings. The carriage shudders and jolts every now and then, its passengers swaying with it in tandem. A group of teenage girls are huddled around a cellphone and giggling softly whilst an elderly gentleman frowns disapprovingly in their direction from his seat opposite.

Tegoshi rests his elbow on the window sill and settles his chin in the palm of his hand. The greenery has given way to brick and concrete now, power lines and roads and tall metal fences marring the landscape, and Tegoshi knows they'll be arriving in Tokyo soon.

Ever since he was a little boy, he's dreamed of Tokyo. He remembers visiting once with his parents, and ever since then his home town had never been able to measure up to the skyscrapers and the billboards and the lights, everything that was Tokyo in all its glory. They said Tokyo was where everyone went to be a star, so Tegoshi? He's going to Tokyo.

Eventually, the train slows to a stop, hissing as the brakes are applied, and the crowd inside pile out of the doors. Tegoshi lets them carry him out, moving with the flow as best he can with his luggage, and already he's relishing the press of people, the constant need to be somewhere else five minutes ago that he's come to associate with the city. As he's stepping out onto the platform, his suitcase catches on the edge, sending him flying into a young man with a guitar case on his back. The man starts and turns, and Tegoshi's eyes widen.

"I'm so sorry!" He blurts out, "I tripped, I hope I didn't hurt you, I'm really sor-"

The other man halts him with a flat palm held up between them and a smile as bright as the sun, "It's fine, just an accident. Are you alright?"

"Fine, thank you," Tegoshi replies quietly, and casts his eyes down as he bows his head, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

The other man waves his hand and nods his goodbye, turning to leave and in moments, he's lost in the crowd. Hopefully Tegoshi's second encounter with someone from Tokyo will be more successful than his first.

-

His apartment is part of a much larger complex, and from the outside, Tegoshi isn't terribly hopeful about the interior.

By the time he's dragged his suitcase up six flights of stairs - because the elevator is out of order, and looks like it has been for a while - he's almost expecting the door to open and fall right off the hinges.

Thankfully, it doesn't, and the inside of the apartment actually isn't all that bad. It's small, but clean, and looks comfortable at least. The sofa-bed looks like it's seen better days and the threadbare rug doesn't do much to hide what look like cigarette burns in the carpet but the kitchen is freshly scrubbed and the water runs clear.

It's not perfect, but for the foreseeable future, it's home. Besides, his parents had already paid the rent for the first three months.

-

The next day, Tegoshi ventures outside. He'd unpacked everything the night before - not something that takes very long when you can fit all you own into a backpack and a suitcase - and had feasted heartily on the instant cup noodles his mother hadn't let him leave without. He'd thought she was fussing at the time, but was soon grateful for her foresight.

Despite the dire state of his apartment building, the area surrounding it isn't all that bad. A little beaten up, sure, and a lot of the shrubbery had seen better days, but he'd seen worse. There's a small convenience store a little way down the street, flanked by a bakery and a launderette, and Tegoshi barely misses having a boy taller than himself thrown into him as he passes.

"And don't come back!" A small woman shouts as the boy scrambles to avoid the bottle of fabric conditioner she's waving in his face. The moment he's gone the woman seems to wilt, shrinking in stature and lowering the plastic bottle, but Tegoshi is still standing there with wide, slightly terrified eyes.

"Sorry about that, dear," she says, much more quietly this time, "He's no good, that one. Couldn't keep a job to save his life. Are you new around here?"

"Y-yes," Tegoshi stammers, bowing politely, "I just moved in, uh, down the street."

"Well, I'm Masuda. It's very nice to meet you."

"You too!" He replies, trying not to sound too over-eager whilst still eyeing up the bottle she'd been brandishing as a weapon not a moment before, "I-I'm Tegoshi. Tegoshi Yuya."

Masuda inclines her head with a smile, "You moved here for school, Yuya?"

"Oh, no," he waves his hand in front of him, "I just left university. I'm actually looking for work."

She smiles then, wide and bright, eyes scrunching up until they're almost invisible if not for the crinkles around the corners, "Well, we just so happen to have an opening."

And just like that, Tegoshi finds himself with a job.

-

Tegoshi works for Masuda's launderette four days out of the week, from two in the afternoon until they close at ten o'clock. It's a family-run business, but the family wasn't large enough to run the place without some extra help - the last help they'd hired, that Tegoshi had had the pleasure of running into, had turned up still drunk from the night before, and had fallen asleep on the job. Masuda had caught him, chased him out with a bottle of fabric conditioner, and the rest was history.

More often than not, Tegoshi works alongside Masuda's son, Takahisa. They'd hit it off immediately despite being such different people - Tegoshi is boisterous and excitable while Takahisa is quiet, preferring to watch and listen and nod along with whatever Tegoshi is talking about.

When he's not at work, Tegoshi works on getting his face out there. He came to Tokyo to be somebody, and to be somebody, people have to know you. In the morning he picks out his outfit for the day, using his assortment of accessories to make up for only having a small wardrobe, then heads out. He befriends all of the buskers and street performers he comes across, charming them with wide-eyed awe and a cheerful laugh - because one day, one of them could be a somebody, a somebody who remembers Tegoshi, the boy who noticed.

In the afternoon, he throws his tabard over his clothes and goes to work for eight hours, washing clothes and folding the piles of clean laundry, packing them neatly and sorting them into piles that will be collected, and piles that will be delivered. Takahisa's father handles home-delivery, so Tegoshi's only real contact with him is when he helps load up the van at four, and again at eight. He's a little old-fashioned, always asking Tegoshi why the youth of today find joy in the things they do, but he always asks with a grin - something Tegoshi has come to associate with the family as a whole - and Tegoshi can't help but like him.

After work, most people would head home. But not Tegoshi. He hunts out the scene, the small, out-of-the-way bars and the big, busy, popular clubs. He spends hours chatting with the staff, trying to talk the prettier ones into dancing with him just once, just this once. He's always turned down, but it's with a genuine, apologetic smile, and they always seem pleased to see him when he comes back. They remember him.

He's still not a somebody, but he's well on his way.

 

**.autumn.**

Tegoshi loves the crunch of freshly-fallen leaves beneath his boots, loves the bright oranges and yellows and reds that stain the pavement as he walks, hands stuffed into the pockets of his artfully worn jeans to keep them warm. He could wear gloves, but he only owns one pair, and as much as he loves the bright red pair his mother had knitted him for Christmas three years ago, they aren't exactly _stylish_.

He waves at Massu as he passes the launderette - who hadn't seemed to understand why Tegoshi couldn't just call him 'Taka' like the rest of his friends if 'Takahisa' was too much of a mouthful - and gets a grin from Nishikido, who runs the bakery next door. Massu was a little terrified of Ryo, and always made Tegoshi return his clothes when they were done, but Tegoshi really couldn't see why. Ryo was a little surly at times, sure, and he could always find something to complain about, but he had a sharp tongue and a wicked sense of humour that always made Tegoshi laugh. Plus, Ryo gives him free food.

He has no work today though, and as much as he loves Ryo's company, Tegoshi has business to attend to. A friend of a friend had contacts in interesting places, and had set up a lunch date for him with a talent scout who works for the same company that had discovered young actress Aragaki Yui and teen sensation Yamashita Tomohisa. To say Tegoshi is excited would be like saying the Sistine Chapel is acceptable.

Kato, the talent scout, is waiting for him at the restaurant when he arrives in Roppongi, even though Tegoshi is twenty minutes early. He's done up securely in a tailored, black duffel coat, with plain black jeans and sensible shoes, but the shaggy cut of his hair - dark, but still dyed - takes years off his appearance.

"So," Kato begins once they've been shown to their seats, and Tegoshi has balked at the menu prices, "You want to be a star, huh?"

"I do." Tegoshi says firmly, then tacks a hasty 'sir' onto the end.

"Look around you," Kato says with a wave of his hand, and Tegoshi does as he's told. "So does eighty percent of this place. What makes you more special than the rest of them?"

"I-I-" Tegoshi falters for a moment, but smiles through it and soon finds his footing again, "I'm different to the rest of them. I've got the drive to go the extra mile and the enthusiasm to make it worth it. I put one hundred and ten percent into everything I do, and I fully believe that I can be the best at it." He leaves off the 'and I usually am', because as true as it is, Tegoshi doesn't want to come across as pompous.

Kato nods politely, and regardless of whether or not he's heard the same thing from every wishful young person he comes across, he still looks intrigued.

"And what, exactly, is 'it'?"

Tegoshi opens his mouth, and closes it again with a snap. All his life he'd dreamed of being a star, of being a face whole families could recognise, of being the kind of person children looked up to and teenagers wanted to be like and parents wanted their daughters to bring home. He'd dreamed of being a household name, of having hoards of screaming fans and of signing autographs in the street and bringing smiles to everyone's faces.

But never once, in all those years, had he thought about how, exactly, he was going to do it.

-

Kato pays for the meal and leaves Tegoshi with his card, after making him promise to call as soon as he figures out what he wants to do, but Tegoshi can't help but feel like he's just blown his best chance. He wants to fall to his knees and slap his forehead against the floor, tug at his hair and scream in frustration, but he's in the middle of Roppongi, and being escorted home by the police certainly wouldn't be a good start to his career.

Cutting through the park to get to the station, Tegoshi spots a lone figure sitting on the grass underneath a tree, back leant up against the bark. As he walks closer, he can see that the figure is cradling a guitar in his lap and has his head resting back against the tree trunk, eyes closed. At first glance, he appears to be asleep, but Tegoshi can just about see his lips moving faintly, fingers shifting almost imperceptibly against the strings in a silent melody. Tegoshi isn't usually the kind of person who stares - not so obviously, anyway - but he can't shake the feeling that he's seen this man before - and in Tokyo, that's not the kind of thing that happens often, not without cellphone numbers and agreed meeting places.

Just as he draws level with him, the young man starts to sing, giving voice to the words in his head, and his fingers settle more firmly against the guitar strings. His voice is soft and gentle, but pure, warmth emanating from him with every word that follows. His eyes stay closed as he sings, almost as if the music is a part of him that he can't hold inside any longer, flowing through his veins and seeping out through his hands and his throat, and Tegoshi barely notices himself slowing to a stop.

He sings of countless sorrows and hardships, of the changing colours of love and the struggles that can be overcome, and all the while his fingers strum out a melody that makes Tegoshi's chest and fingers and throat clench and relax at the same time. He's entrancing to watch, so lost to the rest of the world, so caught up in his music that nothing else really matters, not the passing of time or the bustle of the streets or even the leaves falling from the tree above him. He sings like he's pouring his heart out, and Tegoshi's never seen anything like it before, and doesn't think he ever will again.

 _Believe in yourself_ , this stranger sings for Tegoshi's ears alone, and Tegoshi sucks in a breath as the other man's hands slow to a stop. His eyes flicker open, squinting against the light for a moment, and Tegoshi briefly considers turning on his heel and leaving - he's intruding, this man had no idea he was listening to something that sounded like it should have been such private thoughts, and he really shouldn't be here - but then the other man is smiling brightly.

"Hi again. I'm impressed, you're standing up all on your own."

Tegoshi's half way through a surprised retort when it registers, and he steps a little closer to look at the stranger's face. Long, messy brown hair, big brown eyes, a mole on one temple-

"Oh! It's you! From the station!"

The other man grins, "So you weren't standing there because you remembered me? Do you normally hang around in parks and stare at strangers?"

Tegoshi flushes and ducks his head, clenching his teeth. This man's off-centre grin and twinkling eyes are absolutely infuriating, and Tegoshi squares his jaw firmly.

"You're the one singing in parks. You might as well put up a sign asking to be stared at."

The other man throws back his head to laugh, but cracks it on the tree instead and yelps in pain. Tegoshi laughs in his place, and he glares up at him.

"You're mean."

"No, I'm Tegoshi." Tegoshi replies, trying to curb his laughter, "And who are you? Unless you'd like me to call you Singing Park Man or something?"

Park Man snorts, "That makes me sound Korean. Akanishi."

They don't do polite introductions or civil greetings or pleasant conversation, but somehow along the way Akanishi becomes Jin and his number finds its way into Tegoshi's phone. Jin laughs at the clunky old handset Tegoshi is still hanging onto, and Tegoshi whacks him around the head with it while he's tapping the number into his own slightly beaten-up iPhone. He ends up telling Jin all about his disastrous meeting, who manages to look appropriately sympathetic until Tegoshi stops talking, and a snicker sneaks out.

"Shut up," Tegoshi pouts, folding his arms crossly.

Jin's mouth works as he tries to school his smile into something slightly less amused. "Oh come on, that is pretty funny."

"For you, maybe. You weren't there."

Jin sets his guitar down carefully on the grass and unfolds his legs, settling back on his hands. "Well, what do you think you'd like to do?"

Tegoshi shrugs. "I'd never really thought about that."

"So? Think about it now. This is great! You can be anything, all you've got to do is choose it."

Tegoshi doesn't think he'll ever be able to explain why, but he's sure this isn't going to be the only time Jin manages to make him feel like he could take on the world and come out of the other side smiling.

-

The next time they meet, Jin is sitting cross-legged outside of the station in Shibuya, seemingly ignorant of the rush of people around him and to the small pile of coins that had gathered by his feet until Tegoshi helpfully points it out. He's surprised Jin had picked Shibuya as their meeting place when they just get straight back on the train again and head for Ota-ku, but he wouldn't really be surprised if Jin had just happened to already be in Shibuya when he called and decided that was as good a place as any to wait.

Jin's apartment, when they arrive, is even more dire than Tegoshi's, but at least he's made it look like a home. There are photographs in frames and tacked to the walls and the shelving, piles of magazines and CDs and DVDs on the coffee table - at least, Tegoshi assumes there's a table underneath there and not just a sturdy cardboard box - and a warm-looking blanket (and several shirts) in a bundle on the floor. It looks comfortable, and Tegoshi has no problem curling up at one end of the sofa with a throw pillow in his lap.

He doesn't get to sit still for long, though. Jin heads straight for his DVD collection, and forgoes offering Tegoshi anything to eat or drink in favour of running his finger along the case spines and clucking his tongue thoughtfully. After a few moments of silence, Tegoshi begins to think about asking what they're doing, but then Jin is making a small sound of triumph and slipping a movie into the DVD player.

Seven movie clips and two hours later, and they decide Tegoshi isn't really cut out for acting. He'd rather enjoyed acting out the death scene from Romeo and Juliet - Jin had insisted the DVD wasn't his - but Jin had burst out laughing before Tegoshi could even get to _Poison? Drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after?_ He'd apologised afterwards, but the damage had already been done, and they'd chosen to move on to other things.

He's surprised to discover that Jin can dance, too, but his surprise soon turns to frustration as Jin tries to teach him some of the steps. When he trips over his feet for the eleventh time in twenty-five minutes, he throws himself down on the couch and Jin says that they should maybe try something else.

So, he takes out his guitar and starts to sing. It's an old song, one his mother used to play whenever she cleaned, and Tegoshi's more than happy to let the memories and Jin's voice wash over him. Jin, however, seems to have other ideas, and is staring at him pointedly as he sings so that it's only a moment before Tegoshi realises he's supposed to be joining in. He clears his throat and comes in on the next line at a lower key, letting Jin's voice dictate the tempo, and he launches himself into it like he'd tried to with the acting and the dancing. He gives everything he'd promised Kato he could, putting everything he has into this one performance, this one he's sharing with Jin, and listening to the other man's voice next to his own sounds really, really good.

Towards the end of the song, Tegoshi notices that Jin's harmony has dropped away, and he finishes the last verse alone, only to open his eyes - which he couldn't recall ever closing - and find Jin staring at him, awe plastered across his face.

Tegoshi blushes scarlet and looks away. "There's no need to look at me like that. If it was that bad you should have just stopped me."

"What?" Jin says softly, sounding almost breathless, "I- You- No, that... Why didn't you tell me you could sing like that?!"

"I guess..." Tegoshi feels his blush deepening even as his lips tug into a grin at the compliment, "I didn't really know?"

"Call this talent guy now." Jin tells him firmly, picking up his cellphone from on top of one of the piles of CDs and handing it to him, "Call him right now and tell him you want to sing."

 

**.winter.**

It's already November before Kato manages to squeeze Tegoshi into his schedule, further enforcing that this is _Tokyo_ , and here everyone and their mother wants to make it big. Tegoshi doesn't let this put him off, and just spends his time with Jin, perfecting his voice. Jin is by no means a vocal coach but he has a good ear and some decent tips. Plus, he's willing to work for food, which is really all Tegoshi can afford from his wages.

This time, Kato invites Tegoshi up to his office, and it's all Tegoshi can do not to stare at all the photographs and framed records hanging on the walls as he's shown to the correct room. Kato's office itself isn't as lavish as Tegoshi had imagined - four cream walls, a desk, computer, media system and several potted plants - but he supposes that's not really surprising. The last time they'd spoken on the phone Tegoshi had managed to find out that Kato was just starting out in the industry and was still looking for his big break - which was probably the only reason he'd agreed to meet with Tegoshi again anyway. He wasn't going to let himself get lost in such a negative way of thinking though, and promised himself it was because Kato had seen something special in him. The kind of something that made you some _one_.

"Ah, Tegoshi." Kato waves him in with a smile and Tegoshi bows his thanks to the desk attendant who had escorted him before closing the door behind himself.

"It's so nice to see you again. Have a seat, please."

Tegoshi sits, and folds his hands in his lap, setting his bag down at his feet and clearing his throat. He'd been practicing different things to say ever since he'd gotten off the train, and soon decided short and simple was probably best. Jin had told him to let his singing voice speak for itself, and Tegoshi had felt so warm and proud of the other man's confidence in him that he'd begun to believe in himself completely.

"Thank you so much for seeing me. I've been working hard since we last spoke, and I'd really appreciate it if you'd listen to my demo CD."

Kato's eyebrows lift slightly, clearly surprised that the boy who had been so unsure last time they'd met was now so organised, but he soon schools his expression into something more polite.

"Of course."

Tegoshi grins from ear to ear and fishes the CD from his bag, handing the blank case to Kato who takes it and slips the disc into the CD player behind him.

He'd been up until four that morning with Jin finishing it - although really he was just dozing on the desk while Jin sat next to him adding the final touches on his computer.

One track, the first, is a fun, almost-pop number, and Tegoshi remembers the fun he'd had recording it. The first few times he'd tried it had sounded a little flat, but then Jin had sat opposite him and pulled ridiculous faces until Tegoshi's grin could be heard as he sang, and the effect had just _worked_.

The second - and last - track was totally different. Jin had written him a quiet ballad that made the most of his vocal range, throwing in long, powerful notes to show off the power he had over his voice and gentle, crooning lines that faded to nothing without any aid. The first track had been heavily computer edited, with different sounds and beats overlaid to create the backing, but this one was just Jin's guitar and Tegoshi's voice, totally unedited. Tegoshi had been nervous when Jin had told him they were just going to record it and burn it to the disc, but Jin had had faith in his vocal quality, and had promised it would work. And now, listening to it back, Tegoshi's glad he listened.

Tegoshi watches Kato's face through both tracks, watches it stay carefully blank until the second song fades to a close. Then he lays his eyes on Tegoshi, and he grins a wide, full-out, face splitting grin like Tegoshi never thought his face possible of.

Tegoshi's heart soars.

-

Several days later Kato calls him up and Tegoshi answers his phone within two rings, fingers fumbling with the buttons.

_"Kid, my superiors love you. They want to hear another track. Do you have one?"_

"I-" Tegoshi pauses. "Sure, yes, I have one," He lies easily, "When do you need it by?"

 _"Email it across to me by the morning. I've got a good feeling about this, Tegoshi, a really good feeling."_ Tegoshi can hear Kato's excitement through the phone and he nods eagerly, before remembering that Kato can't see him.

"No problem! Thank you, thank you so much."

Kato hangs up without another word, and Tegoshi leaps onto Massu's back with a whoop. His friend barely stumbles under the added weight - for such a baby-face he's certainly built up some strength from dragging piles of laundry around all day - and finishes loading the washing machine before he carefully disentangles Tegoshi's arms from around his neck and lets him drop back down to the floor.

"Good news?"

But Tegoshi's already dialling, and switches it onto speaker phone so that the dial tone echoes off the walls.

"Jin!" He cries, the moment the phone's picked up, "They want more! They liked me!"

 _"Of course they liked you,"_ Jin says matter-of-factly, but Tegoshi can hear him smiling through the phone, _"How long do we have?"_

Tegoshi feels his grin turning into something a little soft, a little silly when Jin counts them as a team, automatically offering his help in making Tegoshi something bigger, something better. "Until the morning." He glances at the clock; it's seven fifty-six in the evening.

 _"Fuck,"_ Jin mutters, and Tegoshi chews on his bottom lip, _"Fuck. Okay, it's fine, we can do this. When can you be here?"_

Tegoshi turns pleading eyes on Massu, and his friend sighs exaggeratedly. He's still smiling, though, which Tegoshi takes as a good sign.

"We're nearly done here, I'll finish up tonight. Go."

Beaming, Tegoshi throws his arms around Massu's neck again - from the front this time, where there's less chance of him accidentally choking Massu - and calls into his phone, "I'll be right over!"

-

Jin suggests a ballad, something that can really show off the full power of Tegoshi's voice, and when Tegoshi agrees he passes him a lyric sheet. As he reads over the words he can't help feeling an odd sense of dejà vu, but it's only when he reaches the last line that it hits him.

_Believe in yourself._

"What? Jin, I can't sing this..."

"Sure you can," Jin grins, "Give it a go."

"No, I-I can't... This is yours, I can't sing your own song..." Tegoshi stares down at the characters swimming in front of him and tries to push the page back into Jin's hands.

"The others were mine too, and you didn't mind. Is this one not good enough for you?" Jin can't meet Tegoshi's eyes, his voice quiet, hurt, and Tegoshi rushes to explain.

"No, no, yes, I- of course it's good enough, it's _beautiful_ but... you wrote the other ones _for_ me, and this one... this one you wrote for yourself. I can't use it for me, I-"

Jin holds up one hand and Tegoshi falls silent.

"I'm being totally selfish, really," he says, and even though Tegoshi doesn't think Jin has a selfish bone in his body, he lets him speak. "You're gonna be awesome, and I want to hear my song out there, I want people to know it and love it and...

"And if anyone can do it, it's you." He finishes quietly, nervously twisting a chunky silver ring around his finger. "Please take it?"

Tegoshi watches his friend for a long moment, then wraps his arms tightly around Jin's neck. He hangs on until Jin's arms come up around him tentatively, settling on his shoulder blades, and squeezes a little harder.

"Thank you," he murmurs, and presses his nose into Jin's neck. It's probably too intimate, and Tegoshi ignores the quiet, choked sound Jin makes to say it again. It's not just the song he's thanking him for, but when Jin squeezes him back, he's sure the other man understands.

-

They sing through it together a few times, then Jin drops away and lets Tegoshi have a go by himself. It's much tougher to sing than he'd thought it would be, especially having seen Jin looking so at ease singing it himself, but Tegoshi is nothing if not determined, and on the third run-through Jin grins that wide, square, slightly awkward grin and tells him he nailed it.

Tegoshi can't get his head around why, but he feels even more elated than he had when Kato had praised him.

They record it a few times so that Jin can cut together the best bits of each performance, by which time Tegoshi's beginning to flag. He'd been up early that morning in case Kato tried to get hold of him, and now it's pushing one o'clock in the morning, he can feel his eyelids getting heavy and his voice getting rough. When Jin plays him the finished vocal track, Tegoshi can't deny that it sounds good, but it's still a little empty, and when he tries to record the backing harmony, his voice gives up. They try water, tea, honey, but Tegoshi's still feeling the strain, and the harder they try, the worse he gets.

"You do it," he tells Jin eventually, clearing his throat when he croaks, "You sing the backing."

Jin looks a little like a deer caught in the headlights. "Me? I... No, this is your track, I... Me?"

Tegoshi nudges him with his shoulder and smiles. "Sure, you're here. You'll do."

"I'll do?!" Jin exclaims, shoving him back, "I'll _do_?! You little brat, I'll show you 'you'll do'."

Tegoshi grins and Jin glowers back at him, and he knows he's won.

-

At some point between Jin recording his own vocals and adding the music, Tegoshi falls asleep, and only wakes when he feels himself being shaken.

"It's done!" Jin's grinning right up in his face, all childish excitement, "Come listen!"

Yawning, Tegoshi pushes himself up, and it's only when his nose hits Jin's cheek and the other man jumps back that he notices that Jin hadn't moved. His friend turns away quickly and as he gets up, Tegoshi feels a blanket he doesn't remember covering himself with fall to the floor.

Beneath the curtain of Jin's hair, he can see his friend blushing and staring resolutely at his computer screen. Tension radiates from him all of a sudden, and he wraps his arms around himself as he waits for Tegoshi to join him.

Picking up the blanket, Tegoshi drapes it around Jin's shoulders and leaves his hands there, prodding one finger into the side of Jin's neck gently to get him to play their song.

He feels Jin relax, even lean back sleepily into the warmth as he hits 'play'.

The guitar comes in first, a gentle rhythm for a moment before a _second_ guitar joins it, taking the lead. Jin's even added a drum track in, and Tegoshi marvels at the abilities of technology. His own voice is soft when it joins the music, soft but sure and confident as he sings, and right when it had seemed to fall flat before, Jin's voice joins his, just for a moment, a key or so higher and a perfect counterpoint to his own.

Then, then Tegoshi's voice launches into the first chorus and Jin's right there with him, and not only does he sound stronger, but Jin's softer backing brings a whole new level of emotion, something purer and less desperate. Jin makes it seem gentle and heartfelt while Tegoshi sings with everything he has, and together, he can't deny that they sound _amazing_.

With the extra guitar and drum tracks, everything sounds so much fuller than it had before, so much more complete. The second chorus is even more powerful than the first, and even Tegoshi is impressed with the strength of his vocals, but Jin is right behind him, keeping up easily. It makes Tegoshi wonder just how strong a voice Jin has been keeping to himself, especially when Tegoshi's voice dies out for a final time and Jin's singing again, long, slow notes that are suddenly deeper than he'd gotten used to hearing. They die out along with the final notes from Jin's guitar, and Tegoshi is left standing in silence, his fingers clenched around Jin's shoulders, speechless.

Kato calls back by eleven. The pair of them are asleep on the sofa at the time, Tegoshi's head pillowed on Jin's lap and one of Jin's arms draped across Tegoshi's chest as light tries to peek in through the drawn curtains. They'd tried to wait up for Kato's phone call but the pull of sleep had been too great. Scrambling for his phone, Tegoshi just makes it in time, mumbling groggily into the phone.

"H'lo?"

_"Tegoshi, they want you both to come in as soon as possible."_

Tegoshi blinks, the fog beginning to clear in his head. "They... Both of us?"

_"The other guy, the one that sings. And they want to know who it is that wrote the music, too."_

For a moment, Tegoshi wonders if they've made someone angry. But Kato sounds positive, doesn't sound worried in the slightest.

"He's a friend."

 _"Good,"_ Kato replies, and he sounds like he means it, _"Bring him in."_

-

Jin is not a morning person, Tegoshi soon learns. Jin is even _less_ of a morning person when he's being woken up after only four restless hours of sleep, and it takes fifteen minutes of shaking and poking and prodding before he so much as stirs. He's looking much more human after a shower, and Tegoshi can't help watching the way the water from his hair drips from the tips down onto his back in tiny, meandering drops. He gulps down some more of the coffee he'd made to cure his suddenly dry mouth, and taps his foot impatiently as he waits for Jin to dress and bring him a clean shirt.

Jin drives them to the agency building, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel with nervous excitement every time the traffic so much as pauses. It ends up taking a little longer than the train would have, but Tegoshi doesn't think either of them would have been able to stand the waiting or the quiet of the train carriages.

Kato is in a meeting when they arrive, and the pair of them stand around outside the meeting room, catching each other's eyes every now and then and grinning. Tegoshi finds himself unable to keep the smile from his face every time he so much as looks in Jin's direction, and can feel himself practically shaking with pent-up energy.

Finally, the door opens, but Kato only ushers them inside and leads them to stand before a group of men all sat around a table far too big for their number.

From there, it's all a bit of a blur in Tegoshi's mind, these men - who he assumes are the superiors Kato had mentioned - all throwing around compliments and worries and thoughts about the tracks he and Jin had put together while one person towards the back of the group taps frantically on a laptop. They do a lot of staring too, at both of them, but Kato's doing a lot of smiling, so Tegoshi sits still and lets them, poking Jin in the side beneath the table when he looks like he might be getting antsy. They start grilling them next, wanting to know how long they've been singing, if they've had any vocal training, what kind of equipment Jin uses to put his tracks together, what Tegoshi considers his strongest musical genre to be, question after question until finally, they all look to one man who has yet to say a word, sitting silently at the head of the table just watching, listening.

He nods, once, and one corner of his mouth quirks upwards.

Kato steps forward with the kind of smile that would look completely at home on the face of a mother seeing her child's first 'A' grade, and places both palms flat on the table.

"How would you two feel about performing as a duo?"

Tegoshi looks at Jin. Jin looks at Tegoshi. They grin.

And so, the Red Skulls are formed.

 

**.spring.**

Tegoshi barely notices Christmas coming and going, his life suddenly filled with meetings and wardrobe and photoshoots where he's told to stand very still and look all broody, because the girls love broody. Then he and Jin are put in front of a big white screen with a selection of props - so far they've seen everything from pillows and blankets to extendible coat hangers and giant dinner plates - and told to look like they're having the time of their lives. Apparently the girls like that, too. Suddenly he's expected to wear make-up, and to only dress in designer clothes - Tegoshi doesn't mind that so much, especially when the clothes are _given_ to him - and they have to start covering their faces when they go out so that they look like celebrities whether people on the streets recognise them or not.

Other aspects of his life are changing, too. For one, he hasn't worked at the launderette for nearly three months now, although he still sees Massu a few times a week, this time to pick up his dry cleaning instead of washing other people's clothes. He still gets free food from Nishikido though, who hit it off with Jin the moment Jin smirked and set his elbow on top of Ryo's head. Ryo had thumped Jin for it and called him a fat lump, but he'd also shoved a bowl of pudding angrily across the counter at him, so Tegoshi could tell he liked him.

Even things between him and Jin are changing. What had seemed like strange anomalies before, things Tegoshi would brush off like they were nothing were becoming increasingly more commonplace now that they were spending so much time together. Things like the way he'd catch Jin's eyes on him sometimes, and the moment Jin realised Tegoshi was looking back, he'd look quickly away like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't. It wasn't just an accidental meeting of their gazes though, because when Tegoshi watched carefully out of the corner of his eye, Jin wouldn't always stop. Things like the easy touches they were able to share, arms thrown around each other's shoulders or gentle shoves or ruffled hair. Tegoshi liked it best when they were both tired, and neither of them cared enough about what implications they might give by slumping down on the sofa together, his cheek on Jin's shoulder and Jin's face in his hair. Once, he'd felt Jin lift a hand to brush a strand of hair from his eyes then linger against the curve of his cheekbone. He'd pretended to be asleep, but his cheek felt colder when Jin curled his fingers away.

That's the moment that is playing on his mind right now. Tegoshi lying on his bed, flat on his stomach with his chin propped up on his hand. A notebook full of his tiny, scratchy handwriting is set out in front of him and he twirls his pen idly around his fingers as he tries to find the right words.

Two days before, they'd been asked by Shige - what Tegoshi had taken to calling Kato since he found out his given name, despite his attempts to get Tegoshi to call him 'Manager' - to write the lyrics for their first single. Tegoshi had been beyond excited at first, and no amount of being told not to get his hopes up too much in case it doesn't do as well as they hoped could bring him down. But now he's actually sitting here and trying to write, he's not feeling so confident any more. Shige had wanted two sets of lyrics from them, one each, for the A- and B-side, and Tegoshi's protests that he was the singer, not the songwriter, had fallen on deaf ears.

Now, he has pages and pages of lyrics about warm eyes and elegant hands and a voice that stirs his soul, but nothing that even comes close to fulfilling Shige's specifications. They want an upbeat, pop-meets-rock title track, something that will stick in people's minds and make them want to move, and for the B-side, something slower, a little dark, a little sexy. In fact, 'saucy' had been the word Shige had used, but Tegoshi had laughed at him for it. He'd laughed at the time, but right now not even 'saucy' is helping him out, not unless they want a song about ketchup.

Tegoshi's stomach growls, and he snaps his notebook shut with a huff of frustration. Stupid Jin and his stupid hair and his stupid face stuck in Tegoshi's head. It's all Jin's fault that he can't write a decent song.

Flopping onto his back, Tegoshi switches his pen for his cellphone.

 _Jiiiiin,_ he types, _write my song too._

He waits so long for a reply that he starts to doze off before his phone vibrates.

_Write your own song, lazy._

Tegoshi grins. _Meanie_ , he types back.

 _No, you._ Jin replies, _Just try. Write anything! You can't give them nothing. Write about a girl in a bar or something if you can't think of anything else._

Tegoshi scoffs, but the next day he isn't really surprised when his lyrics about the drunk girl in the bar and the way he wants her to make him feel are met with dubious expressions, and in the end, they go with both of Jin's songs.

-

Recording is hard work. Singing the same line over and over again until it stops being words and becomes a jumble of sounds, singing in different keys and with different inflections, spending hours shut away in a little booth with only a giant microphone and a sheet of lyrics for company. It's tough, but Tegoshi is loving every minute of it. They're recording their first song, and he can see Jin through the glass offering him a grin or a thumbs up when he thinks he's doing well - which seems to be every time Tegoshi looks over at him, really.

Jin makes him want to try harder, to be the best he can be, and above all, Tegoshi doesn't want to let him down. He wants to see that grin on Jin's face no matter what, wants to see the excitement shining in his eyes forever, and he's determined to keep it there for as long as he can. He puts everything he has into everything they do, whether it's recording or photoshoots or the most boring meetings on the planet, and when Tegoshi stops to think about it, he realises it's not for himself any more.  
It's all for Jin.

 

**.summer.**

The release of their first single marks one year since Tegoshi arrived in Tokyo, and they first met on that train platform amongst a sea of people. They can scarcely believe how quickly they shoot to the top, this newly-formed duo with big smiles and no training, but that's their single in the number one spot, and that's them performing it on Music Station and that's their PV showing on the big screens in Shinjuku. Success means they have to work twice as hard, but every moment is worth it, especially when they're out on the streets in their big hats and glasses and people begin to _really_ recognise them. It starts off small with a few pointed fingers and hushed whispers on the train, but soon it's giggling girls hiding behind their cellphones and eager paparazzi looking for a scoop. Management are even talking about letting them do a few live shows - nothing as big as a tour, they're quick to point out, but there's clearly an opening in their market for more than a single or two - and Jin and Tegoshi can barely contain their excitement.

They stay up all hours of the night working on new tracks to perform, trying out different styles and harmonies until they've got a solid set lined up. Two small shows, that's all they're supposed to have. Just two, but the tickets sell out within the hour so the venues are upgraded, and those sell out, too. Massu's family all have tickets, and Tegoshi has to almost get down on his knees and beg for the venue management to squeeze in one extra ticket for Ryo.

The day of the first show is unbelievably hectic; Tegoshi had never realised so much work went into a live show. His respect for the staff and stage hands suddenly rockets as he watches them all rush around with clipboards and wires and bits of equipment, a blur of black shirts for hours before the hall opens. They run through the set in the middle of it twice, once to block it followed by a full run through with tentative lighting and an equipment check. Eventually, they're told to clear off, and they spend the rest of the afternoon hiding away backstage feeling nervous and restless but, above all, unbelievably excited.

An hour before everything kicks off, they're ushered through wardrobe and make-up. Tegoshi is more than grateful for the distraction, and from the look on Jin's face, can tell he's feeling the same. As much as they'd been looking forward to this, as much as they'd prepared until every little detail was second nature, he'd never imagined just how terrifying the waiting game would be, and being dressed and re-dressed and prodded at successfully keeps him from wondering about all the things that could go wrong. He keeps meeting Jin's eyes in the mirror and they share nervous smiles as they watch each other's make-up artists at work. Concealer, foundation, eyeshadow, liner, and an assortment of things that Tegoshi can't even name go onto Jin's face, and the results are a little incredible. He still looks just like himself, but suddenly Jin's eyes, those big, beautiful eyes seem to jump out of his face. His hair that falls, tousled around his shoulders has been teased into thick curls that frame his face and a mouth that grins back at him.

"Woah," Tegoshi breathes, and Jin laughs.

"Woah yourself."

Turning to look at his own reflection, Tegoshi can't see all that much of a difference in himself. His hair is a little tidier, his cheeks a little more pronounced, but really, he still looks the same. The look in Jin's eyes tells him Jin is definitely seeing something he likes, though.

 _"Ten minutes!"_ A voice from the hall calls, and Shige bursts in looking ten times as panicked as normal. "What are you still doing in here, hurry up!"

Jin waves his hand non-committally in their manager's direction and Tegoshi smothers his giggles when Shige looks scandalised. Before he can blow a fuse, Tegoshi jumps in.

"We're coming, don't worry," he says firmly, and Shige looks torn between irritation and the need to do as Tegoshi says.

-

They stand backstage, bouncing on the balls of their feet with nervous energy as they wait for their cue. Tegoshi can hear the crowd already starting to cheer for them, and suddenly the nerves aren't there any more, replaced with an eager need to do his best, to give his all to the fans who have pushed them so high, so fast. Adrenaline begins to bubble in his veins and his skin feels too tight, and he jumps nearly out of it when Jin puts a hand on his arm.

Matching grins meet before they throw their arms around each other and laugh out their excitement, clutching tightly, fiercely. Jin lifts Tegoshi off his feet for a moment and that just makes Tegoshi laugh harder. Eventually, they quiet, chests heaving and eyes sparkling. Jin's grin softens as he continues to look at Tegoshi, gaze unwavering, and it feels like the perfect moment for Tegoshi to lean in and kiss him. Only Jin's already meeting him halfway, and there's an awkward fumble of mouths and noses and chuckles before they finally get it right. Jin tastes of laughter and happiness and success, and if he'd thought his heart was pounding before, it's nothing compared to the way his pulse feels like it's trying to break out of his skin now. Jin kisses like he's been waiting forever to do it, full of eagerness and desperation and affection, and Tegoshi feels like his heart might just explode from all of it.

They can't stay like this forever though, and it's getting hard to kiss around their wide smiles. They break away, breathless again but for a totally different reason this time, and Tegoshi straightens Jin's hair just as they hear their cue.

The lights are blinding and the screams are deafening, and Jin is beside him and it's just perfect. It's everything he'd dreamed of and more, so much more, because Tegoshi isn't just a somebody. As the crowd quiets down and Jin starts playing and Tegoshi starts singing the song, _their_ song, he realises something.

_Amid conspiracies and lies, I carry this clumsy love._

He doesn't need to be a somebody to be happy.

_I'm carrying so many precious things that it's becoming hard to walk._

He _has_ a somebody. That's what really matters now, that's what he really needs to fly.

_Everyone's love changes colours countless times.  
On days when you get tired and lean on me, I'll hold you._

But that's certainly not going to stop them from spreading their wings and soaring.

_Surely as many smiles as the tears you've shed are waiting for you.  
Believe in yourself._

 

**.end.**


End file.
